Be/02 are maxed out

howecome

I've just moved to a new house in the Watford exchange area and was planning on signing up for Be's value package. Alas, a cryptic message on their site said it was available on the exchange but they couldn't currently provide it. A quick call to their sales hotline and I established that they have run out of capacity on that exchange.

I admire their protection of existing customers' bandwidth, but am left at a bit of a loss who to go with. 02 couldn't give me their best offers either (presumably because they share the Be network).

I was going to avoid PlusNet due to their relatively low usage limits on their value package and I'm not keen on paying £15+ a month for broadband.

So after all that...some questions!

Can anyone shed any light on how long the Be service will be blocked to new customers? If it's a few days/weeks then I might just wait.

If it's a few months, can anyone suggest the cheapest way to get online in the interim? Perhaps with a contract free connection? I already have a wireless router so don't need a new one, but will I still get stung for a connection fee?

Or... should I just bite the bullet and sign up to PlusNet and keep a close eye on my usage?

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Cheers.

mk-donald

Firstly the "I admire their protection of existing customers' bandwidth" will almost certainly NOT be Be saying "enough customers for now", but rather "we have no more LLU DSLAM circuits free".

That can be because: they have grown too quickly; decided not to invest; been refused space in the exchange by Openreach; or simply awaiting delivery/commissioning of extra kit/capacity.

You did the right thing in checking the o2 website too, as we have found from past experience that although Telefonica's Be & o2 share their LLU DSLAMs it seems that at any moment the circuit capacity is internally allocated in some way between the two brands.

If o2 are offering you o2 Access (instead of the LLU Std/Prem/Pro) a resold ADSLmax product (unlimited usage but with the user profile that promise attracted, and hence traffic managed - too much for some users but not all!) then if you were prepared for a period of masochism both in terms of price & quality of service you could try that (on their 30 day moneyback guarantee anyway) in the hope that DSLAM capacity is expanded or customers leave - as they let you migrate to their LLU product (with its lower prices, higher ADSL2+ standard and uncongested network).

Otherwise may be best to find the ThinkBroadband forum for Be and put a posting there SPECIFIC TO YOUR EXCHANGE to see if you can get some "inside" information from Be about if/when they plan to expand capacity (as some of the visitors to the forum appear to be at least related to insiders, and there is an official Be rep who visits albeit only occasionally) - or for now just keep testing your number on the Be/o2 website (via Quidco/TopCashBack for £40-£50) in the hope that capacity suddenly becomes available on one of them.

MKD

mrJ_5

howecome wrote: »

Perhaps with a contract free connection? I already have a wireless router so don't need a new one, but will I still get stung for a connection fee?

If you are looking to pay nothing to set the connection up, and for no contract - the two don't quite go hand in hand. It doesn't matter that you have your own router, as the ISP needs to pay around £40 to BT to enable broadband on your line (and somehow need to recoup it from you)

Jemma-T

Who else is available to provide your ADSL www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php ?

As an O2 customer I don't want them overextending their network (like the crap BT). Obviously, they will stretch it as much as possible but if they are forced to extend (or artificially increase the capacity) present customers wouldn't be too happy.

They need to invest so tell them your thoughts http://forum.o2.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=14 and see if you can register your interest on your exchange with Be or O2.

macman

It's not possible to put a timescale on the exchange LLU capacity, it might be a few months, it might be never. Unless you can get 02 to put a date on it, sign up with Plusnet Value. That will only cost you £72 for a year, and with the current Quidco cashback that is £29.
So let's say you sign up with PN and (worst case/best case) in a month you find O2 can offer you an LLU connection. You pay up the rest of your PN contract and it's only cost you £23. Much better than going for the non-contract PN option, for which you will pay a £40 set up fee.

stiffnuts

I also live in watford. I did have 02 broadband, then went to virgin, now want to move back to o2 but hence no capacity when I tried last week.

I have signed up with plusnet premium with 4 free months (I think the offer is gone now) the 3 months at £11.99 then £15.99. It will cost £40 to leave during the first 12 months. Give it a try there is nothing to lose. If the service is good I will stick with plusnet!

howecome

Thanks all for your suggestions. I've signed up for PlusNet value and have £28 cashback pending with TopCashBack.

Cheers.

macman

howecome wrote: »

Thanks all for your suggestions. I've signed up for PlusNet value and have £28 cashback pending with TopCashBack.

Cheers.

It was £43 on Quidco!

bankersnight

You lost some dosh